Data usage and demand for a data delivery capacity of communications networks continue to rise with an increasing popularity of mobile devices, such as mobile phones, tablet devices, laptops, and so forth. With the increase in data usage and data delivery capacity demand, communications network operators and providers are experiencing cellular network congestion. To meet the increasing demand for bandwidth in communications networks, communications network operators and providers may use multiple radio access technologies (multi-RATs), such as cellular networks and wireless networks, to transfer data in the communications network.
Wireless networks use an unlicensed portion of the communications spectrum, and wireless network nodes can be widely deployed at relatively low cost. With widespread and cost effective deployments of wireless network technologies (such as Wi-Fi networks) available, communications network operators and providers can offload data traffic to the wireless networks to decrease cellular network congestion. For example, as smartphones are being equipped with both cellular network connecting capabilities and wireless network connecting capabilities, communications network operators and providers may offload cellular network data to the wireless networks. Accordingly, there is a need for a communications scheme for communications networks that can use cellular networks and wireless networks effectively.
Reference will now be made to the exemplary embodiments illustrated, and specific language will be used herein to describe the same. It will nevertheless be understood that no limitation of the scope of the invention is thereby intended.